The Miraculous
Miracles
Uniformity
of Nature
Genesis 1:16
Genesis 3:1
Joshua 10:13
Evolution
Creation
Carbon Dating
Inspiration
Partial
Contradictions
& Inaccuracies
Common
Trinity
Soul
Heaven
Hell
Satan/Demons
"Saved"
Baptism
Resurrection
Antichrist
Unique
Catholic
Mormon
SDA
JW
British Israel
Church
of Christ
Pentecostal
Islam
- Joshua 10:13
- "And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed . . . "1
- Problem:
- If the Bible is a divinely inspired book, why does it use Ptolemaic language implying a geocentric concept of the solar system (i.e. that the sun goes around the earth), rather than Copernican language which would imply a heliocentric concept of the solar system (i.e., that the earth revolves around the sun)?
- Solution:
- The language of the Bible is often phenomenal (i.e., it pertains to appearances). The Bible describes the heavenly bodies, and classifies the animal world by appearance. Likewise data in sociology, education and psychology, as well as many other disciplines, are collected on the basis of observation. Other attempts to order data may involve classification according to other criteria such as internal structure.
- Popular expressions include the phenomenal approach. The sun is still spoken of as "rising" and "setting." One still hears idioms like: "From every corner of the earth" and "from all quarters of the globe." Such expressions are entirely serviceable in everyday communications as vehicles of meaning. Their use does not imply postulation about the actual or absolute relationships of heavenly bodies to the earth. The Bible no more errs in its use of the phenomenal approach than a contemporary person does in his use of similar idioms.
Footnotes:
- It is reported that there is independent historical confirmation of a long day in the writings of other people. See Arthur Gook, Can A Young Man Trust His Bible?, (London: Pickering and Inglis Ltd.). Gook comments as follows: "There were three ancient nations in the East which kept records of their history - the Greeks, The Egyptians and the Chinese. Each of these nations has a record of an unnaturally long day. Herodotus, 480 B.C. a Greek who is called 'the father of history,' tells us that some priests in Egypt showed him a record telling of the lengthening of a day far beyond the twenty-four hours. In the Chinese ancient writings it is plainly stated that such an occurrence took place in the reign of their Emperor Yeo, and their genealogical tables show that an Emperor of this name was reigning in China in the time of Joshua. Lord Kingsborough, who has made a special study of the aboriginal Indians in America, states that the Mexicans, who reached a high state of civilization long before America was discovered by Europeans, have a record that the sun 'stood still' for a whole day in the year which they call 'seven rabbits.' Now, the year 'seven rabbits' corresponds exactly with the time that Joshua and the Israelites were conquering Palestine." p. 43. Return